Car roof



Jan. 19 1 26. 1,570,123

C; D. BbNSALL.

CAR ROOF Fil Nov. 21, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 c. D. BONSALL CAR ROOF Filed Nov. 21, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Cal Patented Jan. 19, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL, OF PITTSBURGIL:PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO I. H. MURPHY COMPANY, OF NEW KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR ROOF.

Application filed November 21, 1921. I Serial No. 516,600.

wherein self-supporting roof sheets extend from side plate to side plate and are formed along their side margins with lapping por tions which are riveted together to form weather proofing joints or seams that function as carlines.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to increase the strength and rigidity of the roof by improving the sectional shape and arrangement of the lapped portions of adjacent sheets. Anotherobject is to enable the sheets to be pressed from a rectangular blank, thereby eliminating the expense of shearing the blank to special shape. Another object is to devise a boxgirder seam whose upper half is formed by a strengthening rib of one sheet and whose lower half is formed by a strengthening rib of an adjacent sheet, thus permitting the use of strengthening ribs so shallow that they may be pressed in the sheets with relatively light power and small risk of rupturing the metal. Another object is to locate the boxgirder seams partly above and partly below the plane of the body of the sheets, thereby obtaining a more uniform distri bution of the metal in the roof and increasing the strength of the roof and reducing by one half the height of the seams above the sheets. Another object is to secure efiective ventilation of the car through the box joints. Another object is to utilize the box-joint as a drain channel for draining off water that may enter said joints, thereby permitting the use of fewer rivets and extreme care in driving the same- Another object is to reduce the weight of the roof, tosimplify the construction thereof and to cheapen the cost of manufacture.

The invention consists principally in the construction hereinafter described; and it also consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts Wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the end portion of a car roof embodying my invention, parts being shown broken away to more clearly illustrate the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged'transverse section through one half of the roof on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section along the ridge line of the roof on the line 33 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail cross-section through one of the seams, the section being taken betwen the ridge and the eaves on the line H in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section through one of the seams at the side plate, the section being taken on the line 5'5 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section through the ridge line of one of the roof sheets;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a car roof embodying a modified form seam construction;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged transverse section through one half of said roof on the line 8-8 in Fig. 7

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are enlarged vertical cross-sections through one of the seams of the roof shown inv Fig. 7, the sections being taken on lines 9-9, 1010 and 11-11, respectively, inFig. 7; I

Fig. 12 is a cross-section through one of the roof sheets for the roof shown in Fig. 7 the section being taken adjacent to the ridge line of said sheet; and

Fig. 13 is a cross-section through the eaves portion of the roof shown in Fig. 7 the section being taken through one of the seams on the line 13-13 in Fig. 7.

The roof shown in sheet 1 of the accompanying drawings comprises transversely arranged load-sustaining roof sheets 15, which extend from eaves to eaves of the car. The roof sheets are supported at their eaves endson the outwardly projecting uppermost flanges of the anglebar side plates 16; and the eaves ends of said sheets are provided with down-turned'eaves flanges 17 which overhang the outer edges of the top flanges I of said side plates.

The roof sheets have hollow strengthening ribs 18 and 19 formed therein adjacent to their respective side margins, the rib 18 at one side margin of a sheet being pressed upwardly and the rib 19 at the opposite side margin of said sheet being pressed downwardly. This pressing of the ribs 18 and 19 in opposite directions with respect to the body of the sheet forms reverse strengthening ribs, one opening upwardly and the other opening downwardly.

The sheets are assembled by lapping their side marginal portions; that is, the downwardly opening rib 18 at one side margin of a sheet is placed over the upwardly opening rib 19 at the other side margin of an adjacent sheet; and the lapped portions of the sheets are secured together on opposite sides of the reverse ribs 18 and 19 by rows of rivets 20, whereby said reverse ribs cooperate to form box-girder seams or joints 21, which constitute carlines. The rows of rivets on the one side of a box-girder joint 21 extend through the overlapping side margin 22 of one sheet and the adjacent underlying body portion of the other sheet; and the row of rivets on the opposite side of said joint extend through the overhanging body portion of said first mentioned sheet and the underlying side margin 23 of said second mentioned sheet.

The ribs 18 and 19 are preferably of chan nel section and gradually decrease in height and depth, respectively, from the ridge towards the eaves where they merge into the plane of the body of the sheets. The upwardly opening ribs or channels 19 merge into the body of the sheet at the inner faces of the side plates. The downwardly opening ribs or channels 18 merge into the body of the sheet at the point where the eaves ends of the sheets are turned down to form the depending eaves flanges 17.

The sheets are pressed from blanks of uniform width and, therefore, the gradual. decreased height of the channels 18 and 15) from the ridge toward the eaves results in a corresponding increase in the width of the sheets towards the eaves. This surplus metal is utilized in securing a uniform widening of the channels 18 and 19 from the ridge towards the eaves with the result that the flanges 22 and 23 at the side margins of the sheets are of uniform width from eaves to eaves thereof.

By reason of the sheets being pressed from a rectangular blank. the decreased height of the ribs 18 and 19 from the ridge towards the eaves enables the width of said ribs to be increased from the ridge towards the eaves. This arrangement increases the sheet lap as well as the seam lap and produces a box-girder seam construction of high and narrow section at the ridge, that is well adapted to withstand the vertical roof loads, and of broad fiat section at the eaves that functions as a gusset to withstand the horizontal stresses.

Running boards 2 1 are arranged lengthwise of the car at the ridge and. are securely bolted to the uppermost lateral flange of Z-shaped running boards saddles 25, whose lowermost lateral flanges rest on the roof sheets and are secured thereto by the rivets that secure the overlapping side marginal flange 22 of one sheet to the underlying body portion of an adjacent sheet.

End, sheets 26 are provided for each end of the car. The outer side marginal portions of the end' sheets are supported on the uppermost flanges of angle-bar end plates 27 and are formed with depending flanges which overhang the outer margins of supporting flanges of said end plates. The end sheets are made in rights and lofts; that is, one of said end sheets is provided at its inner side margin with anupwardly opening channel 19 and the other of said sheets is provided at its inner side margin with a downwardly opening channel 18.

In the modification shown in sheet 2 of the drawings, the sheets 15 are provided adjacent to one side margin with an upwardly open channel 19, which merges into the plane of the sheet near the inner face of the side plates, and are provided adjacent to the other side margin with a downwardly open channel 18, which is turned down at 18" over the eaves of the car'and is open at its bottom. Thus, when the downwardly opening rib of one sheet is secured to the upwardly open rib of an adjacent sheet, they form a box-girder seam 21 whose ends are open' The flanges 23 located outside of the upwardly opening channels 19 have depressed portions 23" adapted to cooperate with the body portions of adjacent sheets to form openings 28 in. the box-girders 21 formed by the lapped ribs 18" and 19*. These open lugs 28 establish communication between the interior of the car and the interior of the box-girders 21 thereby permitting said box-girders to function as passageways or lines which serve to ventilate the car. These fines or passageways serve also as drain channels for carrying ofl any water that may enter the joints of the box-girders, thus eliminating the necessity for a tight joint and reducing the number of rivets required for securing the lapped ribs 18 and l9" without affecting the water proofing qualities of the roof.

The invention is not restricted to the precise shapes and arrangements of parts shown in the drawings.

hat I claim is:

1. As an article of manufacture a roof sheet for a car roof, said roof sheet having its side margins substantially in the plane of the body portion and havinga portion adjacent to each side margin formed with a hollow strengthening rib, the hollow of the rib at one side margin opening down wardly and the rib at the opposite side margin opening upwardly.

2. As an article of manufacture a roof sheet for a car roof, said roof sheet having a portion adjacent to each side margin formed with a hollow strengthening rib, the rib at one side margin opening downwardly and the rib at the opposite side margin opening upwardly.

8. As an article of manufacture a roof sheet for a car roof, said roof sheet having a portion adjacent to each side margin formed with a hollow strengthening rib, the rib at one side margin opening downwardly and the rib at the opposite side margin opening upwardly, the upwardly opening rib terminating short of the ends of the sheet and the downwardly opening rib extending the full length thereof.

4. In a car roof construction, the combination with the side plates of the roof frame; contiguous roof sheets "formed at their eaves ends with laterally-extended and with depending flanges respectively adapted to overlie and to engage the top and outer side faces of the side plates; the roof sheets being lapped at their transverse marginal portions and provided with reversely tended companion ribs respectively formed in said lapped marginal portions; substantially as specified.

5. In a metal car roof, in combination: contiguous roof sheets lapped at their transverse marginal portions and provided'with companion ribs respectively formed in said lapped marginal portions and projecting beyond the planes thereof, the rib of one roof sheet being extended reversely from the companion rib of the other lapped roof sheet, substantially as specified.

(3, A roof sheet having one side marginal portion provided with a transversely-extended rib and the other side marginal portion provided with a transversely-extended rib pipjected from the roof sheet in the direction opposite to that of the first-mentioned transversely-extended rib, said ribs extending beyond the plane of the sheet from which they are formed, substantially as specified.

7. In a metal car roof, in combination: contiguous roof sheets lapped at their transverse marginal portions and provided with companion ribs respectively formed in said lapped marginal portions, the rib of one roof sheet being extended reversely from the companion rib of the other lapped root sheet, and projecting beyond the sheet from which they are formed, the lapped marginal portions of the contiguous roof sheets being extended transversely of and beyond said ribs.

8. In a metal car roof, a1 plurality of root sheets extending from side to side, each sheet having one edge overlapping the edge of the adjacent sheet and parallel ribs in each sheet extending from opposite sides of the sheet, means for securing the overlapped portions of the sheets together with the opposite extending ribs one above the other in register, and means for securing the ends of the sheets to side plates of the car, said registering ribs forming an air passage from side to side of the car and means provided in said ribs forming a communication between said air passage and the interior of the car.

9. In a metal car roof, a plurality of roof sheets extending from side to side, each sheet "having one edge overlapping the edge of the adjacent sheet and parallel ribs in each sheet extending from opposite sides of the sheet, the ribs on the upper side of the overlap extending upward and the ribs on the underside extending downward, the ribs on the underside provided with apertures opening into the interior of the car.

10. A roof structure for railway cars, such roof structure embodying overlapping metal sheets the side margins of which are provided with integrally formed carline sections extending one above and one below the plane of the sheet and adapted to form a hollow carline when the edges of the sheets are brought into overlapping relation and secured together.

11. In a roof structure for railway cars, a metal sheet bent transversely to form the ridge and provided at its edges with longitudinal, integrally formed hollow carline sections, one extending below the plane of the roof sheet and the other above, and adapted when brought into overlapping relation with other sheets to constitute a hollow carline to support the roof structure.

12. In a metal car root, a plurality of roof sheets extending from side to side, each sheet having one edge overlapping the edge of the adjacent sheet and parallel ribs in each sheet extending from opposite sides of the sheet, means for securing the overlapped portions of the sheets together with the opposite extending ribs one above the other in register, and means for securing the ends of the sheets to side plates of the car.

13. In a metal car root, a plurality of roof sheets extending from side to side, each sheet having one edge overlapping the edge of the adjacent sheet and parallel ribs in each sheet extending from opposite sides of the sheet, the ribs on the upper side of the overlap extending upward and the ribs on the underside extending downward.

Signed at New Kensington, Pa., this 17th day of November, 1921.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL, 

